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Student Academic or Financial Grievance Procedure

Southwestern Michigan College wants to ensure that grievances regarding academic or financial matters are reviewed thoroughly and resolved in a timely manner. To that end the college has the following procedure in place for handling these type of grievances:

The Student Academic or Financial Grievance procedure is for STUDENTS only. All other parties are directed to the Contact Us form. This form will be directed to the administrator that can best look into the matter and if specific information is given, will contact the party with an answer. If the issue is involving another matter then parties are directed to fill out a Concerns Report

The Student Academic or Financial Grievance procedure is for academic (grades, instructor issues, etc) or financial (financial aid, payment concerns, etc) issues only. For all other concerns regarding safety, interpersonal conflicts, etc. the student is directed to the Concerns Report

Students are directed to attempt to resolve their concerns with the individual first. For academic concerns, the student must discuss the issue with the instructor including concerns about a grade. For matters concerning financial issues aid or payments, the student must discuss the issue with the staff member who is responsible for administering the students account. To this end the student must document WHO they spoke with or the grievance will not be accepted.

The Grievance Procedure MUST be activated within 30 days of the alleged occurrence OR within 30 days after the grades are posted. Any grievance filed after this date will not be accepted.

The college will respond within 10 business days. Once the student has filed a grievance the appropriate SMC administrator shall review, investigate and respond back to the grievant within 10 business days unless arrangements have been made by the administrator due to unforeseen circumstances.

All Appeals will be handled by the Vice President. If the matter is still not resolved to the student’s satisfaction, the student is directed to appeal to the appropriate Vice President by emailing their concern including a copy of the original grievance and any supporting documents. The Vice President shall investigate the matter further and respond back to the student with the findings and/or resolution of the appeal. The decision of the Vice President is final.

Preliminary Academic or Financial Grievance Questionnaire

Answer the following questions to determine if your circumstances fall within the scope of the Southwestern Michigan College academic or financial grievance procedure or if there may be some other avenue to finding a resolution.

To verifiy that you qualify to File an Academic or Financial Grievance Indicate All That Apply

I am a student *

Yes

No

The Student Academic or Financial Grievance procedure is for STUDENTS only. All other parties are directed to the Contact Us form. The Contact Us form will be directed to the administrator that can best look into the matter and if specific information is given, will contact the party with an answer. If the issue is involving another matter then parties are directed to fill out a Concerns Report linked above.

I would like to file a grievance about an academic or financial concern *

The Student Academic or Financial Grievance procedure is for academic or financial issues only. For all other concerns regarding safety, interpersonal conflicts, etc. the student is directed to the Concerns Report linked above.

I have spoken to a SMC faculty or staff member about this and it is still not resolved *

Yes

No

Students are directed to attempt to resolve their concerns with the individual first. For academic concerns, the student must discuss the issue with the instructor including concerns about a grade. For matters concerning financial issues aid or payments, the student must discuss the issue with the staff member who is responsible for administering the students account. To this end the student must document WHO they spoke with or the grievance will not be accepted.

This occurred within the last 30 days

Yes

No

The Grievance Procedure MUST be activated within 30 days of the alleged occurrence OR within 30 days after the grades are posted. Any grievance filed after this date will not be accepted.

It appears you have met all the criteria to proceed to the next step of the Student Academic or Grievance process. Please submit this form and you will be redirected to our Student Academic or Financial Grievance Form.

Southwestern Michigan College Student Academic or Financial Grievance Form which must be completed and submitted within thirty (30) days of the date of the incident. It is your responsibility to complete the Student Academic or Financial Grievance Form in a timely manner.

Once you have submitted our online grievance form, the appropriate SMC administrator shall review, investigate and respond back to the you within 10 business days unless arrangements have been made by the administrator due to unforeseen circumstances.

Based on the answers you provided above, it does not appear that you have met all the criteria needed to proceed to the next step of the Student Academic or Grievance process.

We would suggest that you complete our Contact Us form linked above. This form will be directed to the administrator that can best look into the matter and if specific information is given, will contact the party with an answer.

If the issue is involving another matter then parties are directed to fill out a Concerns Report linked above.